By Odeisel
If there was ever something that annoys me about portable music, it’s cheap ass headphones. I know sometimes you get caught out there and you have to buy some on the run occasionally, but cheap headphones can totally ruin music for a two big reasons.
You’re probably playing some “music” nobody else likes but thanks to your poorly made headphones, everyone can hear every single word of your crappy music, even on the loud subway, even though you’re at least 10 feet away from others. Second, you’re already listening to an mp3 and the quality of your music needs all the help it can get to stretch itself into the realm of CD quality sound. (Tough luck trying to get that big echo record sound. We’re out on that). A good pair of headphones can bring out the lows and treble highs without sounding like noise.
You may prefer ear buds with noise reduction or ear muff style over the head phones that block out sound. If you’re at the gym, those may not be the most conducive to getting your workout on (and not breaking your headphones). This column is about introducing you to the latest in headphones of all varieties and brands. Today’s entry: iSkin earTones™.
How many times have you had to make a sudden movement and your headphone drop out of your ear and hit the ground to a surface that is probably dirty as hell? We’ve all been there. And without thinking we pop them right back into our ears. It’s gross but we usually never suffer from it, but the idea of ground germs that close to your face is pretty disturbing.
The good folks at iSkin have decided to address that while also giving you headphones tailor-made for your iPhones/Pods/Pads (as well as Blackberry and other smart phones) and is also VoIP ready for Skype and Facetalk applications. Their earTones earphones are infused with Microban on the earbud and the remote that inhibits the growth of fungus and stain causing bacteria (for you booger pickers).
The earTones feature the first flexible earbud feature (FlexFitTM ) that adds comfort for insertion (get your minds out the gutter). The aforementioned remote control also for play/pause/skip functionality with iTunes while allowing for the swift answering and termination of calls. The same controls also work with YouTube videos. If you have a Mac, the built-in mic is also Skype ready.
The buds fit snugly in the ear and the flex feature allowed to different angles of insertion. We tested the buds with the classic A Tribe Called Quest song “Lyrics To Go.” We chose that particular track because there are many moving parts including a low thudding drum, an archaic electric guitar sample that flashes between ears at certain points and a constant background wail, and well as a keyboard sample. That construction allows us to hear a nice range of sound. As Q-Tip’s voice and the electric guitar vacillated from ear to ear the movement was sharp. The lows weren’t bottomless but they didn’t ring hollow. We found the highs to be captured crisply.
We tried across platforms including a blackberry phone and a PC based laptop. There was a very small lag in answering phone calls from playing music but nothing abnormal. At a price point of 40 bucks, they aren’t precision instruments but they are good enough to not regret the buy and if you’re a germphobe like me that Microban added edge is great mentally.
A Tribe Called Quest – Lyrics To Go
- Frequency Response: 20 Hz-20kHz
- Impedance 32Ω
- Mic: 44dB±3dB,Less than 2.2k (at 1kHz)
- Driver Size: 14.5MM
- Driver Type: Open Dynamic
- Rated Input: 3mW
- Max Output: 20mW
- Pressure Sensitivity: 118±3dB
- 3.5mm stereo plug
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